Sharing Good Music

《夜宴》的配乐里面那几个“咚咚咚”的声音，哪里需要朗朗？简直是大材小用。这张专辑展现的才是朗朗真正的实力。

我是因为《黄河协奏曲》才买这张专辑的，但是初次完整地听乐曲，怎么听都没有我想象中的豪迈壮阔。可能是越对事物有诸多美好的想象，对它的要求越高，又可能是这首写于上世纪30年代的作品还没有沾上现今“抄袭”西方交响作品的陋习吧，所以听起来还很有“中国风”。最令我惊喜的是第4乐章《保卫黄河》，听着听着，怎么出现《东方红》的旋律（让我想起黄歆峰老师曾经在小组练习时提起“东方红，太阳升，中国出了个毛泽东……”哈哈！）！请原谅我的孤陋寡闻。

其他的乐曲如《春江花月夜》、《平湖秋月》、《望春风》、《牧童短笛》和《翻身的日子》等都是很传统的民乐，在这里却很fusion，但朗朗好像都是“牡丹”，为这些乐曲伴奏。

我本身最喜欢的是《枫桥夜泊》，因为很有诗意、很有意境，是那种会让你仿佛身临其境的乐曲。当然，在听完这首乐曲时，我还是回到现实，想到了几年前到寒山寺的那个冬天。站在重新粉刷过一番的寒山寺外，什么“江枫渔火对愁眠”的感觉都没有了，只有眼前黄得刺眼、丝毫没有古意的围墙，上面写着“寒山寺”三个大字。那座真的是张继诗中的寒山寺吗？我想，有时保持距离还是好的。诗里朦胧的美，就让它继续朦胧，若硬要去揭开面纱就太残忍了。所以，还是念念诗、听听音乐好了，别去找朦胧中的“寒山寺”。

I had been eyeing this CD since I first saw it HMV (last year?). Put 4 handsome and talented singers together and you get a winning formula! This album was #1 in music charts of countries like UK, Canada, US, Netherlands and Australia etc. If you wonder what they sing, they sing Operatic Pop, complete with the backup of an orchestra (not the synthesiser, mind you) . A mouthful, isn't it? So it is Opera or Pop?

Il Divo is Italian for "divine male performer". They sure can sing like The Three Tenors but at the some time, the music has the pop element that will not bore the avid pop listeners (like me) to death. The songs are in English, Italian, Spanish, French and Latin, mostly non-English. If you feel that the language barrier in most songs will hinder your appreciate of their voice, rest assure. You don't need language and words to appreciate good music. The first piece of music human beings create certainly has no word. Personally, I like their renditions of Toni Braxton's hit "Unbreak My Heart" (Regresa A Mi), Frank Sinatra's hit "My Way" (A Mi Manera) and "Passerà". I would strongly recommend this album if you are tired of singers who can't even sing.